making news in america this morning -- >> next step. today, president obama announces his new plan for afghanistan. closing in. the intense search for the suspected killer of four police

officers. is he being protected by family and friends? and still perfect. a monday night superdome showdown sends one team into the history books. >> it's tuesday, december 1st, 2009. and good morning on this first day of december. president obama prepares for one of the landmark days of his term this morning. tonight, he makes his case for ramping up the war in afghanistan. >> the president has already talked to afghan leader hamid karzai. viviana hurtado joins us from washington with a preview of the west point speech. good morning, viviana. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and jeremy. that rampup begins right away. some troops will be deployed right after the president's speech. the president's speech at west point this evening outlining his strategy in afghanistan, is a defining test for his presidency. >> if he fails, he will be blamed for losing the war.

if he succeeds, he will get the credit for winning. >> reporter: mr. obama will try to garner support for his plan from a war-fatigued public and congressional leaders who will be briefed this afternoon. >> we are there to partner with the afghans, to train the afghan national security forces, the army and the police. >> reporter: the president's plan includes a narrower mission. 30,000 new troops. more focus on fighting terrorists, less on nation-building. his national security team was briefed this weekend. general stanley mcchrystal, who wanted 40,000 new troops. and karl eikenberry, who expressed his concerns about troop levels with hamid karzai in power. >> it's time for a new dhapter in our relationships a it relates to corruption and improved governance. >> reporter: a senior administration official tells abc news, the president's strategy bypasses karzai's central government, by targeting the district level and specific

ministries. investments will be based on performance. >> we only work through the top, we know that will fail. so, president obama's strategy is to work for bottom-up. >> reporter: and mr. obama has spoken with world leaders about his strategy, including afghan president hamid karzai, with whom he spoke for one hour by a video conference call. >> viviana hurtado in washington this morning. for the perspective from afghanistan, we turn, now, to nick schifrin, who is live this morning in kabul. nick, viviana just talked about the conference call between president obama and president karzai. what more do we know about that? >> reporter: i think what president obama has made clear is what the white house has told abc news, is he no longer gets a blank check. it's been made clear to him over the last month, by secretary of state clinton, secretary of defense robert gates, that his ministers, who he chooses to hire and who he chooses to fire, will really determine whether he

will get the amount of support, both monetarily and developmentally that the united states has given this country for so many years. and the message was, look. we need to do this together. troops.re giving you 40,000 we believe that that will work. and the prident has expressed -- president karzai expressed some reservations about that. but the fact says we're giving you 40,000 troops. you need to give us something back. and that's a better, less corrupt government. >> nick, how closely will afghans really be watching what the president says tonight? >> reporter: well, i think it's -- they'll be watching just as closely what president karzai does. i think there's not a lot of knowledge, you know, on the u.s. this plan has been out there for at least a week. not a lot of knowledge of how many troops are going to come in, whether it's 30,000, 40,000. people know there's additional troops. i think what afghans are looking for is performance from those troops. and performance from the

president, from president karzai, from their government, from their local government, who they really deal with, and from their own troops. from afghan soldiers and afghan police. and if this plan ends up helping local soldiers and police take control of security in afghanistan, i think that will be very well welcomed by afghans. if the security does not improve, that will just be anotheexample, they will think, of the u.s. failing in afghanistan. >> a lot of questions that will hopefully be answered. abc's nick schifrin live for us in kabul this morning. thank you. you'll be able to watch the president's speech tonight live the u.s. military academy, at 8:00 p.m. eastern, here on abc. new details this morning about the man suspected of killing four seattle area police officers. investigators believe maurice clemme ons by the officers. then, there are the troubling questions about why clemons was on the loose in the first place. neal karlinsky reports from lakewood, washington. >> reporter: s.w.a.t. teams

throughout the region were running frantic all day. chasing down leads with their guns drawn. looking for an alleged cop-killer by the name of maurice clemons. there was little time to grieve for the four, fallen officers. >> we will all miss them very much. >> reporter: while investigators were picking through every inch of these neighborhoods for evidence, still more detectives were picking apart their suspect's background. >> this guy should have never been on the street. >> reporter: maurice clemons was given more than his chances of fremont. he should have been in an arkansas prison, until the year 2015, for a teenage crime spree. he wrote then-governor mike huckabee, asking to commute his sentence. saying, where once stood a young, 16-year-old, misguided fool, now stands a 27-year-old man, who has learned through the school of hard knocks to appreciate the rights of others. huckabee accepted his word. and commuted the sentence. >> do i wish the commutation hadn't happened? of course.

it was my decision, based on what was in front of me, not wh was nine years ahead of me. >> reporter: but within months, he committed another crime and was arrested again. it was not clem man's only lucky break. he was released from a washington jail a week ago, pending charges of child rape and assault on a police officer. all the while facing more pending charges in arkansas. but prosecutors here say, they weren't aware of them. police say they have recovered a murder weapon. and they have evidence that the suspect has been in and around the seattle area. but they still have no sign of him. and as long as he is on the loose, they consider him to be extremely dangerous. neal karlinsky, abc news, lakewood, washington. senate majority leader, harry reid, says he will schedule night and weekend sessions until there is an agreement on health care reform. debate got under way yesterday. the congressional budget office has now crunched the numbers. it estimates the bill would reduce the deficit without raising most people's insurance premiums. and now, for this morning's

weather from around the nation. the snow winds down in west texas. but the rain picks up in the southeast part of the state. it stretches into the gulf coast. flash flood watches in louisiana, mississippi and alabama. buffalo gets its first significant lake-effect snow of the season. and northern minnesota and north dakota see up to six inches. >> a chilly 37 in fargo today. 44 in the twin cities. 52 in chicago. mostly 40s in the northeast. 59 in atlanta. 81 in miami. phoenix climbs up to 69 today. sacramento, 62. and seattle, 45. coming up on "america this morning," a multibillion-dollar media merger is closer to completion. plus, the accused white house party crashers. had they done it before? and middle-schoolers had they done it before? and middle-schoolers arrest

from campbell's.

online shopping sites had a surge in sales on cyber monday. the early returns indicated it may have been the single-biggest day for online retail sales ever. the trend was similar to what we more people shopping, but spending less. general electric has reached an agreement that paves the way for a blockbuster deal in the entertainment industry. g.e. is buying the stake in nbc universal, that is currently owned by french media conglomerate, vivendi. that will allow comcast to buy a controlling stake from g.e., making it one of the nation's

biggest entertainment companies. stocks are rising overseas this morning. news that japan's central bank is holding an unscheduled meeting in ways to boost its economy, is boosting shares in asia. nshg nshg sored 0.2% today. the dow starts at 10,344. the nasdaq closed at 2144. a new government report places a wide range on the number of jobs generated by the stimulus package. the nonpartisan congressional budget office says the package has saved or created between 600,000 or 1.6 million jobs in the third quarter. the report says the stimulus raised gdp by as much as 3.2 percentage points. the federal reserve says it will begin testing a strategy to reel in some of the money it pumped into the economy during the financial crisis. the central bank is looking to eventually shrink its

trillion-dollar portfolio of securities. but the fed says it is preparing for when the right time comes. it's getting a little easier to lease a car these days. automakers backed away from leasing during the financial crisis. but now, they're beginning to offer the option again. leasing accounted for nearly 13% of all car sales in october. that's up 7% from august. coming up next on this tuesday, congress now wants some answers into last week's state dinner debacle. and on "monday night football," one team's quest for

we continue, now, with a look at road conditions for today. i-10 is wet along the gulf coast. and there's snow and rain on i-20 in west texas. snow-covered roads around buffalo, new york. and the northern tier of minnesota and north dakota.

>> if you're flying today, expect airport delays in both dallas and houston. there's a news conference this morning to mark the beginning of tiger woods' own golf tournament. but he won't be playingant won't be there, either. he will skip it and won't be at any tournaments for the rest of the year. experts say the lack of a statement after friday's car crash is very much his style. there is new finger. points or who allowed a virginia couple to crash last week's state dinner. now, kronks wants answers. yunji de nies has the story. >> reporter: how could the skfts let the uninvited couple get all the way to the president? now, the attention has turned to the white house social secretary. >> miss desiree rogers. >> reporter: of course, not everything. an hour and a half later, the salahis would walk through that same door.

the social secretary works near the entrance, with staff, helping to verify guests. desiree rogers was not at the gate. her staff members only there occasionally. the first state dinner of this administration, is your super bowl. and the social secretary's job is a job. and the job is to be there to sort of be the first hello after security. >> reporter: the secret service told abc news, that they and they alone, are responsible for what happened. the white house argued that the secret service could have called the social secretary to verify any guest in question. >> the relay didn't happen because nobody picked up the phone to relay the information. i mean, i appreciate the observation that somebody could. >> reporter: could not have been at a certain gate. but again, you could pick up the phone, just like i can pick up my phone in the office and relay you. >> reporter: the secret service is ultimately responsible. but rogers, a long time friend of if obamas, is facing

questions of her own. >> it's a shared fault of the secret service and social office. and there are people who should fall on their swords in both departments. >> reporter: as for the couple that started this all, they now have an invitation. they've been called to appear at a congressional hearing on thuray. yunji de nies, abc news, washington. and the fox affiliate in washington reports that the salahis crashed an awards dinner held by the congressional black caucus in september. sources say the couple snuck in through a kitchen entrance. the president and first lady were at that dinner, as well. a retired auto worker from ohio is on trial for nazi war crimes in germany. john demjanjuk was whiled into court yesterday. demjanjuk's lawyers say he was a victim, too. he was born in the ukraine and taken prisoner by the germans. testimony resumes today. in southern california,

three schoolboys have been arrested for allegedly targeting students with red hair. authority says the kids were among eight kids who beat and kicked red haired kids in their school. the so-called kick a ginger day, was inspired by an episode of the cartoon, "south park," and posted on facebook. in sport, the saints' press tine season continues. this is the first time the two teams have opened the season with that record. for all the highlights, here's mike yam at espn news. >> good morning. the undefeated saints, hosting the patriots on "monday night football." this thing is going down in new orleans. built up as a huge battle of quarterbacks. but e of them, really good. the other, not so much. saints up 10-7. drew brees, yeah. he was good. devery henderson, all the way. 75 yards. the longest play of the season with a touchdown for the saints. 3 catches, 116 for henderson. 2:30 to go in the first half.

robert meachem. brees had a perfect passer rating in this game. he doesn't done. fourth quarter, 31-17. more from him. marques colston reels it in. brady, shocked. five touchdown passes for brees and a huge win. to the ice. some scary moments between the panthers and the thrashers. tomas vokoun, he was on the wrong end of a stick. first period, tied at 1-1. ilya kovalchuk, able to get the rebound. keith bower swings his stick in frustration. doesn't realize that vokoun was right there. was on the ice for ten minutes. had to leave the game in a stretcher. the good news, just an ear laceration. he was scheduled to meet the team at the airport and fly back with them. thrashers, able to come back victorious. that will do it for this update. for all your news, highlights

and scores, espn news. secretary of state hillary clinton will have a new title. mother of the bride. a fact she confirmed in new york last night. >> this time, it's true. my daughter is engaged. chelsea and her long-time boyfriend, mark mezvinsky, told friends they plan to marry next summer. >> the two have been friends since high school. chelsea is pursuing a graduate degree in public health. and mark is an investment banker. you can find more information and photos at abcnews.com. >> very in love. and the speculation finally confirmed. uh ahead, a look at the stories we'll be following in the today. including a run off election with historic implications. is amazing. did you know 40% of tooth surface is hidden between teeth... ...providing a perfect hiding place for bacteria? that's why aquafresh invented iso-ctive whitening. a breakthrough gel

that transforms into an active foam. it not only protects between teeth... ...it removes three times more bcteria as it whitens. go beyond toothpaste. new triple protection is-active whitening from aquafresh. amazing. like i couldn't catch my breath. i couldn't believe i was actually having a heart attack. i remember being at the hospil, thinng about my wife. i should have done more totake care of myself.,

now i'm exercising, waching my diet, and i trust my heart to lipitor. (announcer) unlie some other, cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and certain kinds ! of heart surgeries in patients with several common risk factors or heart disease. lipitor is backed by over # 17 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are ursing, pregnant, or may become ! pregnant. you need simple blood tests .to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. i'll never forget "what i went through. don't take your healthfor granted., (announcer) .have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. and about lipitor. now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this tuesday. president obama heads to west

point tonight to make his case for sending thousands more troops to afghanistan. the president has ordered that more troops be there by christmas. police have come up empty in their search for a cop killer. they believe a network of family and friends is helping the suspect, mauricelemons, avoid capture. atlanta could elect its first white mayor in a decade today. defense attorneys in italy are expected to wrap up closing arguments day, in the australia of amanda knox, an american college students accused in the murder of her british roommate. a verdict could come by the end of the week. today, the white house is sporting a giant red ribbon for the 21st world aids day. the u.s. will announce plans to give south africa $20 million for aids treatment. today, college football icon bobby bowden is expected to

announce his retirement. but the 84-year-old coach tells the a.p. he is thinking through his options. coming up later on "good morning america," sarah palin's much-hyped bus tour to promote her new book. her picture is on the bus. but she hasn't always traveled inside it. >> hmm. we'll have the details coming up on "good morning america." that starts at 7:00. for some of you, your local news is next. >> and for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this. decorating for the holidays is a true joy... thanks to walgreens. - hey, how about an extra hand? - how about an extra arm? great! they have all the lights and decorations you need, all at great prices so you can really do things up right. something's missing. a little to your right. save big on all your holiday decor. and this week, when you buy one holiday light set for $9.99, you get one free. walgreens. there's a way to find your joy.

you get one free. what shape are your kids in? campbell's kid soups add a unique natural sea salt for a healthy level of sodium and no artificial flavors. they're a healthy lunch choice you can both feel great about. ♪ so many, many reasons ♪ it's so m'm! m'm! good! ♪ owwww.... (announcer) not just sinus headache... but pressure... and congestion. (announcer) you need a sinus medicine ooohhh... that rescues you from all three symptoms introducing new sudafed pe® triple action™. for more complete relief from the sinus triple threat. get more complete relief. with new sudafed pe® triple action™. also find sudafed® behind the counter.

(announcer) try ut a few ! different moms and get all of the extra mothering you need this cold and flu season. the kleenex virtual mos at getmommed.com.

finally from us this morning, the dance for the cure. >> they've come up with a catchy gig to spread the word about breast cancer. they're now a youtube sensation. here's abc's john mckenzie. >> reporter: it all started when a medical supply company created a new line of hospital gloves, in pink, to get more people talking about breast cancer. >> we thought some of the money from the gloves could go to pay for mammograms for women who couldn't afford it. >> reporter: how